Microsoft delivers second preview test build of IE 9

Summary:On May 5, Microsoft made available to developers and other interested testers Platform Preview 2 of its Internet Explorer (IE) 9 browser. The updated preview is available from the same Test Drive site as the preview Microsoft released in March.

The new preview includes new performance tests, like Flickr Explorer, Browser Flip; a few new HTML5 tests, and several new graphics demos, like SVG Tweet Cloud and Real World Diagrams.

According to newly published ACID3 test results, Preview 2 of IE 9 is now at 68 of 100. Preview 1 was 55.

Microsoft officials have not said when to expect an actual beta of IE 9 or when the final release is due.

Microsoft is releasing the new preview the same week as Net Applications reported that IE's overall market share hit an all-time low of 59.95 percent. (And yes, I know Microsoft's market share grew more than that of its browser competitors, but the new numbers are nothing to write home about -- unless you are trying to prove to antitrust officials you don't have a browser monopoly....)

Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 30 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008). She also is the cohost of the "Windows Weekly" podcast on the TWiT network.
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Disclosure

Freelance journalist/blogger Mary Jo Foley has nothing to disclose. WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). I do not own Microsoft stock or stock in any of its partners or competitors. I have no business ventures that are sponsored by Microsoft or any of its partners or competitors.